Parents force girl to drink homemade hot sauce despite her allergy to it because she put 'ink on the cat,' cops say

Robert Elderidge and Ashley Elderidge (Brevard County Sheriff's Office).

A Florida man and woman allegedly forced their daughter to drink homemade hot sauce despite the fact that she is allergic to it as punishment for putting "ink on the cat."

Robert Elderidge, 38, and Ashley Elderidge, 37, each stand accused of abusing their daughter in Cocoa, a city some 45 miles east of Orlando. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit reviewed by Law& Crime, the investigation began on Thursday when the girl told a school resource officer about the abuse. A child protection team coordinator interviewed the girl about what her parents allegedly did to her.

"They whoop me with a belt … a wooden spoon," she told cops.

She pointed to her left thigh and said she suffered bruises and welts from being hit with a hand and belt by her father, the affidavit said. Asked why she was disciplined, she said it was because of "ink on the cat" and that it was "only part of an experiment," cops wrote. She said she was struck 15 times with a hand, per the affidavit.

The girl also said her mother created homemade hot sauce from "red peppers, onions and oil" and forced her to ingest a spoonful even though she is allergic to it, the complaint stated. This occurred on 10 different occasions, per cops.

"According to the victim, when she doesn't want to drink the hot sauce, 'Ashley' would hold [the victim's] nose closed, which prevented her from being able to breathe," cops wrote. "The victim stated that the hot sauce made her stomach hurt and causes her to vomit."

A doctor who examined her determined she suffered from "bizarre" physical abuse, according to police. The doctor also found numerous injuries on the victim, including bruises and three "long, parallel welts on her back thigh," officers wrote.

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Cops spoke with Robert Elderidge and he allegedly said that he "whooped her a—." He claimed he "intended to strike her buttocks but that he struck her legs instead," the affidavit said. Ashley Elderidge allegedly admitted to feeding the girl hot sauce because she lied about putting the ink on the cat.

Both parents were arrested and taken to the Brevard County Jail, where they remain on a $5,000 bond. Their next court date is set for April 7.